Montrose to Diversey, river to Ravenswood
North Center is about 3.5 miles south of our storefront in a straight line, and Western Avenue runs through both. The community area covers Montrose Avenue down to Diversey Parkway, between the Chicago River on the west and Ravenswood Avenue on the east. Roscoe Village is inside it, and so is St. Ben’s.
Lincoln Avenue, once called Little Fort Road, is one of the main streets, along with Western, Addison, Belmont and Irving Park. The Brown Line stops at Addison, Irving Park and Montrose.
At 3300 N. Western stood Riverview Park, the amusement park that ran from 1904 to 1967. The site now holds the Area 3 police headquarters, DePaul College Prep and Riverview Plaza. Lane Tech College Prep and the WGN-TV studios are North Center landmarks too. And a bit of film history survives on Byron Street: the Selig Polyscope Company made some of America’s earliest movies there, and its old buildings near Oakley and Western still stand.
Roscoe Village and the older blocks
Roscoe Street runs right through Roscoe Village, with shops and homes side by side, and a lot of North Center’s homes date from the late 1800s and early 1900s. If a car has been tucked away in one of those garages for years, it’s still worth a call.
A car that hasn’t moved in that long tends to come with flat tires and a seized parking brake. Neither stops a sale. They do change how the truck loads it, so tell us about them, along with whether the car is nose-in or tail-in and how wide the garage door opens.
Northcenter Town Square hosts a Saturday farmers market from June to October. If your car is parked close to it, a weekday pickup may be simpler.
Your city sticker stays with you
The Chicago city sticker doesn’t go with the car. The City Clerk’s sticker FAQ says stickers aren’t transferable between people or companies, and selling or junking a vehicle isn’t a refund reason; refunds are for duplicate purchases or a Clerk error.
What you can do is move it to your next vehicle. Only the Clerk’s office handles that (dealers and the Department of Finance can’t), and you’ll need the old sticker in whatever condition it’s in, plus registration and proof of purchase for the new car. The Clerk’s fee starts at $20. So peel the sticker off before pickup and keep the pieces.
Sweeping season brings one more thing to watch. From April through November, the city sweeps one side of your street on the first posted date and the other side on the second, according to the ward schedule. A dead car can be fine on day one and in the way on day two.
What it’s worth, and next door
Our guide to what your junk car is worth is a good read before you call. We pay cash for junk cars in North Center whatever their age, and old and high-mileage cars are welcome, running or not.
Montrose is the line with Lincoln Square to the north, and Lakeview starts east of Ravenswood. Every area we serve is on the service area page.